Generations Book 4: Colors of War
by Pandora of Ithilien
Summary: Now that Ambryn Sayre has learned the truth of her past, she joins the Trio on their search for the Horcruxes. Meanwhile, Neville, Luna, and Ginny restart the D.A., with a surprise ally: Blaise Zabini. The war has begun who will win?
1. Godric's Hollow

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 1 - Godric's Hollow:** Anyone who was outside that night on that darkened London street would have been astonished to see four teens disappearing into thin air with nothing more than a loud crack. That confused person would have probably decided he or she needed to get some more sleep because they were obviously hallucinating - unless, of course, the observer was a wizard. And so he was. The man watched the teens Disapparate, and then did so himself. He wasn't sure where they were going, but he had a pretty good guess.

Ambryn Sayre landed next to her friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger on a deserted road leading into a small village. A sign proclaimed said village to be Godric's Hollow. Bryn followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione down that road. Harry knew where they were headed; he'd asked his parents' remaining best friend, Remus Lupin, at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

It took roughly ten minutes to reach their destination. There wasn't much left. The curse that had rebounded on Voldemort fifteen and a half years earlier had nearly destroyed the house. But there were things sitting in the rubble. Apparently the Muggles had been afraid to do much in the way of clearing the area, and Bryn couldn't blame them. An explosion that seemed to be utterly random and without explanation would frighten many.

Harry walked into the rubble. The others watched, wanting to follow, to be there for their friend, but understanding that Harry had to do this alone. They watched as he paused to pick up something and study it before putting it back. Then he kept walking, past the ruins to the cemetery close by. Ron, Hermione, and Bryn followed slowly, keeping a distance so Harry could have privacy while he visited his parents' graves. They watched him kneel in front of a pair of tombstones, brushing his fingertips against them. Bryn bit her lip. She could remember doing something similar at the age of twelve, when her mother had died.

After a little time had passed, Harry came back down. "Harry, are you OK?" Hermione asked.

"I have to be, don't I?" Harry replied, with a twisted smile. "Come on. Let's go."

That night they stayed at an inn down in the village. The boys shared a room and the girls shared one. Hermione fell asleep quickly, but Bryn didn't. She stood at the window, looking out. She was wondering about her owl, Ash. Earlier that day she had sent Ash with a very important letter to someone she barely knew, not knowing that she was mirroring her mother's actions 5 years earlier.

In another British town, Nymphadora Tonks woke up to see a gray owl tapping on the window. She reached over to shake the man sleeping next to her.

"Remus, get up. You have an owl."

"What?" he mumbled sleepily.

"You've got an owl," Tonks repeated, opening the window so that the owl could come in. Remus sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The gray owl dropped a letter in his lap before flying away. Remus frowned. The handwriting wasn't anyone's he knew, though it bore a resemblance to... He shook his head and opened the letter, skimming it quickly. Then he frowned, and read it again more thoroughly. He went dead white.

"Remus, what?" Wordlessly, he handed her the letter. Tonks read it, and then looked up at him. "That's, I mean, can she _do_ that?"

"Apparently yes. We might be seeing an old friend soon."

A/N: Well, I did promise a sequel. I know this wasn't much, but my intros usually aren't.


	2. RAB

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 2 - R.A.B.:** The next morning, the four were eating breakfast in a small restaurant near the inn where they'd stayed, discussing their options.

"I say that we have to figure out who this R.A.B. is before we do anything else. We can't go for the snake, and we have no leads on the cup or whatever the other Horcrux is," Hermione stated.

"She's right," Bryn pointed out. "But I don't think R.A.B. is going to be some famous wizard. He or she was probably a Death Eater, because they referred to Voldemort" - Ron flinched - "as the Dark Lord."

Harry frowned. "But if R.A.B. was just some random Death Eater, how are we going to track him or her down?" They all looked at each other, lost for ideas.

"Hang on," Ron said slowly. "The Horcrux we're talking about is the locket, right?" Harry nodded. "Well, where have we seen a big, fancy locket before, one that we couldn't open?" Bryn and Harry both looked blank; Hermione, on the other hand, gasped.

"Oh, my God! Ron, you're right!"

"Um, did I miss something?" Harry said.

Hermione suddenly looked worried. "Well... summer before last, when we were at Grimmauld Place -"

"What's Grimmauld Place?" Bryn wanted to know.

"Your grandparents' house," Harry said shortly. "It's where the Order is headquartered. Technically it's mine, since Sirius left it to me." Bryn would have wondered why she didn't get it, but then, her father hadn't known where she was to put her in a will.

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron. "Now what are you two on about?" he snapped.

"The locket, mate," Ron said. "The one we found while we were cleaning, that no one could open."

"Except that it's likely Mundungus Fletcher sold it," Hermione said ruefully.

"Who?" Bryn was beginning to think she needed a guidebook.

"He's a member of the Order, but he's in jail for impersonating an Inferius." Bryn raised an eyebrow at Harry's words. This guy sounded like an idiot.

"One thing though," Bryn remarked. "If that's the Horcrux, who was R.A.B.?"

Harry answered her. "Regulus Black. Sirius' little brother. I don't know his middle name, but it all fits. He was a Death Eater, a locket that is likely to be the Horcrux was in the place where he lived."

"Wow. But how are we going to find out who this guy sold it to?"

"I'm the 'Boy-Who-Lived. It sucks, but maybe I can take advantage of it to get in to see Dung, find out who he sold it to."

"But Harry," Hermione began, "Azkaban..."

"The dementors are gone," Harry countered. "It's the best lead we've got."

At another table, a man sat and listened to the teens' plan. They were on the right track as of now, and he would be ready to step in when and if they needed help.

A/N: Yeah, they figured out the R.A.B. mystery too easily, but I needed a catalyst for their quest, and this seemed to be the best one. R&R!


	3. We Have To Go Where?

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 3 - We Have To Go Where? - **Soon after that, Harry Apparated to Azkaban. The others stayed behind. They went back to the inn to get their stuff together.

"Do you think he'll get in?" Bryn asked Hermione.

"I hope so."

They went back up to the ruins of the Potter house - that was where Harry had agreed to meet back up with them. Bryn's curiosity got the better of her; she began to investigate. Ron and Hermione didn't; they seemed really unnerved by the place. _And they can't even feel the taint of death here_, Bryn thought dryly.

She noticed something in the rubble. It was an old teddy bear, ripped with stuffing coming out, but mostly intact otherwise. Bryn felt sick all of a sudden. This toy had been in the room where Voldemort had killed Lily Potter. She could feel it. And even if she couldn't, this would have upset her. It was a relic of a life that should have been, that wasn't because of an insane, evil killer. Her curiosity was gone. She went back to stand with Ron and Hermione.

There was a loud pop as Harry returned. "Did you get any information?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Harry said, looking concerned.

"What?" Ron wanted to know.

"Dung sold it..."

"Sold it where and to who?"

"To a shop called Pierre's... in Paris."

"Paris!" The shout came from Ron, Hermione, and Bryn.

"Yeah. And anyone could have bought it since then. So I guess we're going to Paris."

"For now, anyway," mused Bryn. "Let's just hope this shop keeps records of who they sell their wares to." Hermione nodded emphatically.

A/N: Yes, I know the chapters are still short, but bear with me, OK?


	4. Familiar Strangers

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 4 - Familiar Stranger:** So they Apparated to Paris. And this time it was Bryn who got information. She didn't speak French, but she knew a very good spell that would translate her words. So she entered Pierre's and went straight to the counter.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle," said the clerk, Bryn smiled politely.

"Sorry, I don't speak French," she said, before casting the translation spell. The man nodded.

"I have seen that before. You do it well. Now, how may I help you?" he said.

"I'm looking for a locket that was sold to your shop several months ago. It's a family heirloom and it was stolen." She described the locket. The man's face fell.

"I am sorry, but we have sold it already." Bryn was afraid of that.

"I see. May I have the name and location of the person you sold it to?"

"Her name is Solange de Morigny. She lives here, in Paris." He gave her an address and Bryn nodded.

"Thank you." She left, walking over to where her friends stood. She told them what had happened.

"So, how do we get the locket away from her? Do we buy it, or steal it?" Ron wanted to know.

"Ronald! We can't go stealing things!" Hermione cried.

"Not unless we have to," Harry amended. Hermione looked vaguely scandalized. Bryn found that amusing. But there was something else.

"Once we get it, how do we destroy it? We know that we have to get at the bit of soul, but how?" she said.

Harry frowned. "Well," he said slowly, "we couldn't open it when we found it, so maybe the key is - "

"To open it?" said a light male voice. They spun around to find the source. The man was leaning casually against a lamppost. He had jet-black hair that was just a little too long and fell into his ice-blue eyes. Bryn and Harry both had the same thought, though neither of them knew it: He looks so familiar.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. The man smiled wryly.

"Well, at least you're cautious. I'm Aiden. Aiden Blakely. I'm here to help you with the Horcruxes."

"How can we trust you?" Hermione wanted to know. Aiden sighed.

"I had a feeling someone would ask that. I'll make the Unbreakable Vow. I'll swear to help you destroy the Dark Lord's Horcruxes."

"You called him the Dark Lord," Bryn said coolly. "Only Death Eaters do that."

Aiden grimaced. "I know that. I'm a deserter. Force of habit."

Harry cut in. "Fine. If you make the Vow, we'll trust you. You make it with me."

"Fine. Which of you will be our Bonder?"

"I'll do it," Hermione said immediately.

"OK." Aiden and Harry clasped hands. "Do you swear to help us find and destroy the Horcruxes?"

"Yes."

"And do you swear to never tell anyone about what we are doing, to be loyal to us?"

"Yes." Fire wrapped around their clasped hands. Bryn had cast a spell to prevent the Muggles from noticing, which was why they were not bothered. Bryn wasn't sure Harry had made the right choice in doing this, but she knew why he did it. This Aiden knew too much already, and Harry didn't want to risk the problems that occasionally arose with Memory Charms. Also, Aiden was an adult, with - hopefully - experience that they didn't have.

There was another reason why Harry did as he did. There was something about Aiden, something extremely familiar. He was certain he had never met the man, but still... And, even more interesting, it was the same sort of almost-recognition he'd felt when he'd first set eyes on Bryn. Which was very interesting indeed.

Aiden wished it hadn't come to a Vow, but he'd been expecting it. He wanted to make up for his past mistakes, and this was the best way to do it. He'd started it over a decade and a half ago, and now he was finishing it. **_"You always let them control you!" _**The remembered voice rang in his head. _Not anymore. Now I'm controlling myself._

A/N: Now, before you all start shouting about how could you have guessed who was following the teens when he was an OC, well, who says he is? After all, it wouldn't be the first time someone has used an alias. ;)


	5. Lady Solange

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 5 - Lady Solange:** Bryn whistled in appreciation as they came up on Solange de Morigny's house. "This woman must be rolling in it," she remarked. The house was a great stone mansion; Bryn thought it seemed more like a castle than a house.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Aiden looked at them all. "This woman may not be willing to give up this artifact."

"Do you even remember what you overheard?" Harry said, annoyed. The corners of Aiden's mouth quirked.

"Yes, but I'm only just saying. The locket has some historical value besides being a Horcrux, yes? People who buy that kind of thing are collectors." He shrugged. "I've known that type. They're like a dog with a bone, each one of them." Bryn eyed him oddly.

"You know many?" she asked.

"I grew up with people like that." His expression said that the memory was unpleasant.

"Well, we should get going," said Hermione briskly. "We haven't got all day."

"True," Harry agreed, and he led the way up the stairs and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a tall woman in her mid-thirties. She was pretty, with bright blue eyes, a dusting of freckles across her nose, and curly red hair.

"Lady de Morigny?" Hermione said politely. "We're sorry to bother you, but we're here on an urgent duty. It's about an artifact you bought recently."

"Oh, I see," she said in perfect, slightly accented English. They were all relieved to hear her use English. "Come in, please.

She led the way into a classy sitting room. She gestured for them to sit and they did. "Now, you said something about an artifact?"

"Yes, we did," Harry said. "It's a heavy gold locket, engraved with the mark of Salazar Slytherin. It doesn't open."

"Ah, yes, I remember that. Why are you so interested?"

"It was stolen," Aiden cut in smoothly, before Harry could respond. "My friend Evan here owns the house it was taken from, and all the things in it. It is vital, milady, that we get it back. You see, there is a spell on it that could prove dangerous to the unwary."

"You would be Evan?" Lady Solange asked, looking at Harry.

"Yes, Evan Jameson," Harry said. "This is Aiden Blakely, Ryan West, Heather Gray, and Julia Turner," he said, indicating Aiden, Ron, Hermione, and Bryn in turn. Aiden had told Harry to refer to him by his name, but the others had agreed on aliases. "We're very sorry about this, but it's important."

"Well, Mr. Jameson, are you willing to pay me back for it?"

They all looked at each other. "How much did you pay for it?" Harry said slowly.

"Two hundred Galleons." Well, that posed a problem, Bryn mused. She wasn't sure that they could access that kind of money from here, if at all. Then Aiden spoke up.

"Miss Turner and I need to discuss this; we'll be back."

"I thought the locket was Mr. Jameson's?" Lady Solange asked.

"It is," Bryn said, falling into Aiden's game, "but I'm Evan's cousin, and I handle the family money with Aiden's help." Harry nodded, though she was willing to bet he was as confused as she was.

Aiden walked her outside, where she turned on him. "What the hell was that?"

"Your mother was the last of the de Chardin family, correct?"

Bryn frowned. Her mother's journals had said that; how did he know? "Did you know my mother?"

"Yes, our families ran in the same circles. Listen, if that's the case, you are now the last of that family. The Paris branch of Gringotts will let you in if you have the key... do you?"

Bryn shrugged, before pulling her mother's silver chest - shrunk to pocket size - from her purse. She returned it to normal size before searching through it. "Yes, here it is." She held it up.

"Good, let's go."

Twenty minutes later, they were hurtling along a track to the de Chardin vault. They got out, and Bryn was stunned to see how full the vault was. Not just with money, but with treasures. She wanted to take time to look at it, because some of this had to be heirlooms, heirlooms of her grandmother's family. But there wasn't time. The goblin helped them get two hundred Galleons together, and then they left.

They returned to Lady Solange's house and gave her the money. She handed over the locket, though the look in her eyes said that she regretted it. "I'll be reporting that shop owner for selling stolen goods," she said bitterly.

"Actually," Hermione said, "he bought it in good faith, from the thief, we believe. We're just not sure who took it." This was a lie, but as Mundungus was already in Azkaban...

They had left and were looking for a deserted area to Disapparate in when a cold voice said, "Stop, in the name of the Dark Lord!" They turned around and found themselves face to face with two Death Eaters.

A/N: OK, please don't hurt me. Now... on to other business. Like Shades of Grey, this fic will blend DH canon with my own story. I'm keeping most of the deaths (I had Moody marked already; two who died will not and if you want to know who, look up my favorite characters in my profile), but, like JKR, I'm giving a reprieve to someone I had slated for death - Neville. I love him, but I was still going to kill him... God. I can't believe I was going to do that.


	6. Those Left Behind

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 6 - Those Left Behind:** Blaise Zabini was in a very foul mood these days. There seemed, on the surface, to be no reason for it. At the beginning of the summer, he had ordered his mother out of all Zabini holdings - they were his from his father and she had other manors from her other husbands, so he wasn't leaving her homeless by any means - as he had planned for years. There was no love lost between mother and son, since Blaise had always known that his father's death had been caused by his mother, and he hated her for that. With the new situation, though, it was unlikely they'd ever see each other again. He was fine with that. He was alone here, except for Elvira the house elf, and she was... not discountable, just never within sight.

The solitude wasn't the problem. His homework, while tedious, wasn't the problem. His new responsibilities with regards to his monetary assets weren't the problem. No, his problem was a certain American Gryffindor named Ambryn Sayre. He was still angry with her for being so reckless and - in his opinion - stupid, but he couldn't get her last words out of his head. _"__I think there are some things worth risking death for." _He didn't agree with her, so why in the Hell was that one sentence haunting him? Maybe it was the articles in the Prophet. Voldemort's followers were getting more and more brutal. Even someone who had declared himself to be utterly neutral could be disgusted by it. Right?

It was ridiculous to let Bryn haunt him like she was doing. It was just like after that project, when she was always on his mind. Only now it was worse, because he had so many memories now. He couldn't push her away, though he tried. And there were rumors that Potter and Granger had disappeared. Weasley was supposed to be ill, but he was willing to bet that was a front. If the 'Golden Trio' was gone off on some quest, he was willing to bet Bryn was with them. He was scared for her, though he hated to admit it. He scowled to himself as he attempted to do his Transfiguration work. _Why worry about her? She obviously doesn't want your worry_. But that wasn't enough to stop him.

He finally gave up and stalked outside to the terrace, watching the sun set. Something was changing about him, he knew it. He didn't know what yet, but he knew something was happening. And he had a feeling that damned Gryffindor was to blame for it.

* * *

Ginny Weasley was also watching the sun set, from the window in her friend Luna Lovegood's bedroom. She was there with Luna and Neville Longbottom. The three had been spending a lot of time together ever since Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Bryn had disappeared. They discussed the war, and all the problems. Ginny had told the other two about the Order. Maybe it was risky, but she trusted them.

"You know," Luna said, her voice rather less dreamy than usual, "we should start the D.A. up again." Ginny and Neville stared at her.

"But Harry..." Neville began.

"Harry's no longer here, and I think we need it now, don't you?" Luna pointed out. Ginny studied her friend thoughtfully, and then her face took on that blazing look Harry would have recognized.

"You're right, Luna. We_ do_ need the D.A. again, and with the original leaders gone, well, it's all up to us. We can do it, I'm sure of that." Luna smiled and then Neville, looking between the two, nodded.

"You're right. But how are we going to do it then?" he wanted to know. They spent the rest of the night - both were staying over, Ginny with Luna and Neville in a guest room - discussing how to restart the D.A. Ginny felt better than she had since Harry had broken up with her; she was doing something now, even if it was just planning at the moment.

A/N: OK, I expect this chapter will cause people to wish death on me, since I didn't resolve that cliffhanger. However, get used to it, because I'll be doing this for the whole story. Our Horcrux hunters aren't the only ones with a story to tell. R&R!


	7. Last Minute Revelation

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 7 - Last-Minute Revelation:** Bryn stared at the Death Eaters. Her mind indetified them from wanted posters as Rowle and Dolohov, not that their names mattered. Rowle's wand was trained on Harry; Dolohov's had swung to Aiden.

"You! You're supposed to be dead, you filthy turncoat!" he snarled at the dark haired man. Aiden smiled, looking for all the world like he was amused.

"The tales of my demise were greatly exaggerated," he replied smoothly. Then he whipped out his wand and Stunned Dolohov. Rowle yelled in fury and screamed a spell (_Paralso_; one none of the teens recognized) at Harry as Hermione Stunned him. Aiden jumped in front of Harry, taking the curse. The next thing Bryn felt was the sensation of Apparition. She came out of the darkness, expecting to find the corner where they'd met Aiden, the agreed meeting place. Instead, they were surrounded by trees, and she was alone but for Aiden.

"Where are we? Why didn't you go back to the -" She stopped as Aiden dropped to his knees. "What's wrong?"

"The spell," he said with a wan smile.

"What did it do?" She didn't like the expression on his face, or the tone of his voice.

"It paralyzes you... and it spreads."

"What?"

"It starts with your legs and works its way up. When it hits your lungs, you die. The only one who can reverse it is the caster. The Dark Lord created it as an alternative to _Crucio_. He knows some people lie even under that level of pain, so this was created as both a delayed-reaction _Avada Kedavra_ and psychological torture."

"Well, there must be something we can do!" The curse had hit him in the stomach; she pointed her wand at him there and said, "Finite Incantatem!" Aiden screamed.

"What? What did I do?"

"You can't stop it, Bryn. There's nothing to be done."

"How can you be so matter-of-fact if you're dying?" Bryn didn't know why her heart was racing. She didn't know Aiden, after all. Maybe he made her think of Blaise, with his blue eyes and quiet cunning. But no, that wasn't it. So, then, what was it?

"It's not so hard," he said quietly. "I thought I was going to die the night I took Kreacher to the cave." He let his words sink in.

"Take... Kreacher?" she said faintly. Kreacher was the Black family house-elf, she knew, and the lake was where the locket had been. "You're... you're Regulus, aren't you," she said in a whisper. Now she knew. He looked familiar because he was her uncle. And he was about to die. Her relatives weren't a long-lived lot, it seemed. The sarcastic thought filled her with guilt. _How can you be making quips at a time like this? _her inner voice shrieked. She looked at him, gray eyes meeting blue.

"Very good," he said, his voice slightly strained now. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away, but I didn't know how you four would take it."

"But why tell me now, away from everyone? Where are we, anyway?"

"The Bois de Boulogne. We'll be safe here. As for separating you... I wanted to tell you alone. I wanted to tell you all, but... you've got the right to it. We're related, even if your father wouldn't want to acknowledge the connection. Your mother... did you know I went to see them? Before I ran... Sirius wasn't there, but Jazlyn was. So were you, just a baby. I never got to tell my brother that he was right in the end, and I won't, since he beat me to the grave."

Bryn shook her head. "He didn't, exactly." She told him about the Abyss. "As a necromancer, I could get him out. So I made a spell. I don't know if it's worked yet or if it will at all." It occurred to her that he was the only one she'd told, except Lupin. He gave her a look.

"Like Darius..." he whispered, voice even more strained, as the spell crept up his abdomen.

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Bryn said, praying there was.

"No, no, there isn't. Bryn, listen. The four of you, go to Grimmauld Place. You'll be safe there."

"No, Snape... he can bring Death Eaters there."

"Not while someone of the family's there, not unless that family member allows it. You guys need somewhere to go, somewhere they can't get to you. It's only going to get worse from here. The Dark Lord won't stop until he has control of the Wizarding world, and from the little I've picked up, he's already close."

Bryn nodded, her lips pressed together. She couldn't sit here and watch him die, could she? And then she flashed back abruptly to June 1992.

_She sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, looking at her mother. Julia's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Bryn was trembling as she watched her mom sleep; her newfound senses as a necromancer told her that this was it. Her mother wouldn't make it through the night, and she knew it. _

_Suddenly her mother's eyes flew open, and Bryn found herself caught in their gold depths. "Bryn," her mother whispered, looking up at her._

_"Mom -"_

_"Sweetie, I'm so sorry. For leaving you here alone, for not telling you... For not staying to... when you see him, tell him I'm sorry I didn't fight for him."_

_"Mom, what -"_

_"I can't... I'm fading, Bryna. I have to say good-bye now. I'm sorry. I'm so damned..." She watched in horror as her mother's eyes shut again, as she felt her mother die. The monitors screeched, as Bryn sat still as stone, feeling more lost and alone than she'd known it was possible to feel._

Once again, her hands were tied. She hated being helpless! She looked at Regulus on the ground. "I have to do something!" she cried. She didn't know him, but he was her family, and it was too much like last time.

"Just Stun me," he said. "I don't want to be awake when..." He stopped, then continued. "Knock me out, and go to your friends. This fight is for you four now, and your friends. I did my part. Please, just end it for me..." She stared at him, horrified. Then she nodded. White-faced, she Stunned him, and left him to die alone. Then she Disapparated.

"Bryn, what happened?" Harry demanded. "Where's Aiden?"

Bryn looked at him. "He's dead. And he wasn't Aiden. He was really Regulus." She told them what had happened.

"He wants us at Grimmauld Place? No!" Harry snapped. "Absolutely not!"

"Harry, we've no choice." Hermione looked scared, but she pressed on. "We need somewhere to go."

"Fine," he said, his voice flat. They linked hands and Disapparated again.

A/N: OK, very short, I know, but it served the purpose I needed.


	8. House of Shadows

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 6 - House of Shadows: **They Apparated onto the doorstep of Number 12, and then they went inside. Bryn had wondered if she could see it, but since she'd Apparated with the others, and they were Secret-Keepers (an effect of Dumbledore's death), that had let her in on the secret. Hermione pushed the door open and they went inside. Bryn was not impressed. The first thing she noticed were the house elf heads on the wall. That was sick. And then she was distracted when Mad Eye Moody's voice called out, "_Severus Snape?_" Almost immediately after, her tongue - and presumably the others' as well, from their reactions - rolled up in her mouth. A spectral figure floated up out of the dust on the floor. Bryn realized it was Dumbledore as her tongue unrolled.

"We didn't kill you," Harry choked out. The ghost-like figure crumbled into dust. Bryn ignored the chill she felt as she watched it dissipate. She really didn't like Moody's scare tactic, but she could see its usefulness.

They set up camp in the drawing room. Ron and Hermione, apparently, didn't want to go anywhere else in the house. Harry, though, drifted off almost immediately. Ron and Hermione glanced worriedly at each other, and they only got more worried when they saw Bryn staring unblinkingly at the tapestry on the wall, the Black family tree. Ron muttered, "What's with her? That thing's depressing."

"It's her family, Ron, show a little sympathy. I wish Harry would come back; I'm not sure where he went, and I don't like it," Hermione replied in an undertone.

Bryn heard them, but didn't care. She'd spent years of her life explaining her 'obsession' to Ailin and Sarai, her best friends, the people who knew her as well as she knew herself. She'd decided that she didn't need to explain it to them any more, and if she didn't, then, much as she liked Ron and Hermione, she certainly didn't need to explain it to them. Harry... she wouldn't need to. Harry would understand it.

She left the room, though, disliking the knowledge that they watched her. She went up the stairwell Harry had taken, and saw that one door was ajar. The nameplate on it said it had been her father's room. She saw Harry inside, reading what looked like an old letter. She wondered who had written it and why Harry was so interested. She wanted to take a look around the room herself, but she wouldn't bother Harry.

She turned to go back downstairs when another door caught her eye. She looked at the handwritten sign on it. It said,_ Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black. _She raised a brow. That was pretty arrogant. Still... curiosity got the better of her, and, she supposed, a little guilt. She went inside. After all, her only other option was to rejoin Ron and Hermione, and time alone together was probably good for them.

The walls were covered in Voldemort press clippings. Bryn was not impressed by them or by the huge Slytherin banner that hung behind the bed. Then she caught sight of a regular photo, of a group of seven kids in green robes. Another sort of chill ran down her spine as she crossed the room to study it more closely. Regulus was seated in the place where the Seeker always sat. Studying it, a bit of memory struck her. _"Did you play Quidditch, Mom?"_

_"No, Bryn." _

_"Did Daddy?"_

_"No. His best friend did, but... Bryn, what does it matter?"_

_"I just wondered where I got it from." _

She had been able to see from her mother's journals what bits of her personality had come from her father, or, indeed, from Jazlyn before she became Julia. But the Quidditch... now she knew where that was from, too. Strange that she cared, really, but she did.

"Bryn?"

"Oh, hey, Harry. So, what was that letter?"

"Uh... it's from my mum. She wrote it to Sirius from Godric's Hollow." He handed it to her, along with a ripped half of a photograph. Bryn read the letter quickly and smiled at the picture of a small boy zooming on a toy broom, with a man's legs chasing him around.

"Her handwriting's like yours," Bryn said quietly.

"I know," said Harry with a slight smile. He looked at the room and saw the Quidditch picture. "So, it's in your blood too," he remarked.

"Yeah," she said. On an impulse, she tugged at the picture. It didn't come off. "Must be spelled to stay there," she muttered.

"Yeah, Sirius did the same with his room. I'm surprised you didn't go in there."

"You looked like you might want to be alone."

"Oh. Thanks. But, well..." He frowned. "This is weird."

"Tell me about it."

"I'll go make sure Ron and Hermione aren't killing each other."

"Or making out."

"If they're doing that, I'll go hide," Harry said, smirking. Bryn snorted. Harry left, and she went into her dad's room.

"Typical teenage boy," she muttered, glancing at the women in swimsuits. She liked the motorcycles, though, and the picture of the Marauders. She saw a corner of a picture sticking out from under the bed. She picked it up. It was of her father, Regulus, and their three cousins. Sirius looked about fifteen. He stood to the left of Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa, who were seated with Andromeda behind her two sisters on a taller stool. Regulus was on their right. Her mother had a similar picture of her and all the Temaida relatives, including the Black girls. She guessed her father had kept it because of Andromeda - it was why her mother had kept hers. She slipped it into her pocket. She liked it.

As she turned to go, something flashed in the corner of her eye, like sunlight catching on copper-gold hair. She spun but there was nothing there. "Strange," she murmured. She went downstairs, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Downstairs, the others were discussing what to do next. "So, that's one down," Harry was saying. "I wish I could think, where would the others be?"

"Well, maybe that's what those lessons were for," Hermione suggested. "Maybe Dumbledore thought you could work it out by looking at Voldemort's past."

"That's a bit vague, don't you think?" Ron said, frowning.

"Well, let's look," Bryn chimed in, sitting next to Harry. "The locket was in the cave, the ring was at his mother's house. The diary... that was a special case. It was designed as a weapon, so it wouldn't be hidden. Nagini he keeps with him. That leaves the cup and the mystery object. Where else might he hide something?"

"Hogwarts, maybe?" Harry suggested. "I mean, it was an important place to him, the only place he saw as home."

"That's you, not You-Know-Who," Ron argued.

"There are some similarities, though," Harry said uncomfortably. "I first noticed when I was talking to the Riddle in the diary."

"Well, that's not a surprise," Bryn cut in. "I mean, Harry, from what you told me, aren't there similarites in experiences? There would be some traits you'd have in common. It's not a bad thing; it makes it easier for you to fight him, a little, especially since I'd bet Voldemort himself wouldn't be likely to notice." She shrugged. "But that's just me."

"No, you're right," Harry agreed. "Though I guess I could be wrong about Hogwarts, but still."

"What about the old orphanage?" Hermione suggested.

"He hated it there," Harry disagreed. "I doubt he'd ever want to go back."

"So now what?" Ron demanded. The others looked at him, then at each other. Ron was right. What were they going to do now?

A/N: OK, if anyone can guess what that gold flash was, I'll be very impressed. It's going to lead to one of my favorite future scenes, I'll say that much. R&R!


	9. Start of Term

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 7 - Start of Term: **Ginny sat with Neville and Luna on the Hogwarts Express, discussing their plans for the term. "The first thing is to get the others in the D.A. to find out that we're starting up again," said Ginny. "Then we can worry about trying to recruit new people."

"But how? I mean, Harry's coin was the master coin, and we don't have it," Neville said, frowning. Ginny smirked.

"Which is why I went to see Bryn over the summer," she said. "Harry left the stuff he wasn't taking with him there. The coin was in his trunk." She fished it out of her own trunk and held it up.

"Good thinking," said Luna with a smile. "Since Snape is headmaster, it's very important now, since they never knew how we communicated."

"But Draco did," said Ginny, suddenly looking shocked. "Harry said he used the same method."

"Doesn't matter. He wasn't telling Snape anything, was he? He didn't seem to like him anymore," Luna pointed out. Neville shifted slightly. He was still afraid of Snape. He couldn't help it. But he knew it didn't matter. What mattered was fighting back the best way they could.

* * *

At Grimmauld Place, Bryn, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for Harry to come back. He'd slipped out to steal a newspaper. Suddenly, the door slammed open. "I've got news, and you won't like it," Harry called as he walked into the kitchen, where they were sitting. Bryn had snuck out herself to buy food in Muggle London, and she, as it turned out, was the only one othet than Harry who could cook. Harry had been forced to learn at the Dursleys - Bryn had learned from Xiao and Mrs. Medina. Which meant most of her skill ran to Chinese and Mexican. The others had gotten used to it, though. They were eating tacos when Harry showed up, and there was a plate waiting for Harry. He ignored it to throw down the paper. The headline said that Snape had been confirmed as headmaster of Hogwarts.

"No!" cried Hermione. Ron looked furious. So did Harry. For her part, Bryn wasn't too surprised. Since they'd been here, they'd learned that Voldemort had taken over; he would want someone he could trust running Hogwarts. Didn't mean she wasn't angry as well, though. She wondered what the other teachers thought.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discussing that very thing when they heard the door open again. They ran for the entrance, hearing the intruder alerts go off again. "It was not I who killed you, Albus," said a slightly hoarse voice quietly. It was Lupin. Ron and Hermione lowered their wands, but Harry demanded proof that Lupin was who he said he was. They got it, and Lupin chastised Ron and Hermione for lowering their guard so quickly. He gave Bryn a searching look, and she knew he'd gotten her letter.

Lupin gave them a lot of information. The Ministry, now run by a puppet of Voldemort, was rounding up Muggle-borns. Harry was wanted for questioning in Dumbledore's murder. Hermione and Bryn were listed as Muggle-borns who hadn't appeared for registration. "But I'm pureblood," Bryn pointed out.

"Yes, but since you can't prove it, they're using it as an excuse to look for you. Only Ron is safe, thanks to that enchantment on the ghoul," Lupin explained. He also told them that Hogwarts attendance was now mandatory; people couldn't home-school their kids or send them abroad anymore.

The shock came when, after getting confirmation that the four young people were on a mission for Dumbledore, Lupin offered to go with them. As they'd found out that Lupin had married Tonks soon after Bill and Fleur's wedding, this seemed odd. Harry said so, and then Lupin confessed that Tonks was pregnant, she was staying with her parents, and that James would have wanted Lupin to stick with Harry. Harry, though, was having none of it. "I think my dad would wondered why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually," he said.

It turned into a shouting match, with Harry eventually calling Lupin a coward. Lupin whipped out his wand and sent Harry flying back before running out. Bryn hesitated, and then followed. "Mr. Lupin!" she called. He turned back.

"What, going to tell me Jazlyn and Sirius would be angry at me too?" he snarled, looking very wolfish. "I suppose I'll know soon how Sirius will see it, won't I?"

"That wasn't what I was going to say," she said quietly. "I was going to say that my friends and I... I don't know if you know about the Salem Archives, but there's more there than any other wizarding library. We've done a lot of research on werewolves, for a friend of ours, and... there's nothing that says lycanthropy can be passed through anything except a bite."

"Has a werewolf ever fathered a child? No," Lupin snapped.

"I'm sure it's happened. The fact that no one's heard of it just supports the theory that such children aren't born as werewolves." She left him then.

Coming back, she heard Harry defend himself, saying, "Parents shouldn't leave their kids unless - unless they've got to." Ron and Hermione still looked uncertain. Harry and Bryn shared a look. They knew he was right.

* * *

In another train compartment, Blaise Zabini sat with his friend Tracey Davis. "Blaise, what's up with you? Your truant Gryffindor?" Tracey asked, sounding worried. When Blaise glared at her before going back to staring out the window, she sighed. "Damn it, Zabini, talk to me!"

"Maybe it's time we stopped being neutral, Trace. I mean, with the Dark Lord in charge again... maybe it's time to choose a side." _"__I think there are some things worth risking death for." _

"Yeah, but whose? Malfoy'll never accept us, and I wouldn't want him to."

"I didn't mean Malfoy. You know we're not the only Slytherins who don't agree with the Dark Lord; maybe we should do something about it."

"Like what? Something like that old D.A. thing?"

"Somehow, I suspect it's about to be resurrected," Blaise said, "at least, if Ginny Weasley has anything to say about it."

"So, you want to join them?"

"I don't know exactly. But there's a reason we're Slytherins. We've got cunning, and while some of those in other Houses have it, only we learn to cultivate it daily. If you ask me, that could be useful."

"True..." Tracey trailed off, thinking. "Well, I think you should talk to Weasley, see if she's interested. I'll start talking to some of our fellow snakes. I can think of a few who might be interested... Keiran McAvoy, Gwen Cooper... I'm more of a people person, so it's best for me to chat with them. You, on the other hand, have a connection with the Gryffs."

"Though after what happened with Bryn, I'm not sure Weasley will let me speak to her," Blaise mused. "She may just hex me."

* * *

Blaise found out that night, after dinner. He slipped away from his fellow Slytherins and caught up to Ginny. "Weasley," he hissed. "I need to talk to you." Ginny gave him a glare that if looks could kill, would have done one better and disintegrated him, but followed him anyway.

"What do you want, Zabini," she snapped.

"Are you restarting that D.A. thing?" he asked.

"Why?" she said, her eyes narrowed. Blaise sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Because some of us in Slytherin are no happier than everyone else in the school about what's happening," he explained. "We want to help."

"Why should I trust you? Bryn told me you wanted to be neutral, that's why you two are finished."

"I changed my mind," Blaise said, looking Ginny in the eye. "Look, Weasley... Ginny. I mean it. I want to help, and I know others who feel the same." Ginny studied him for a moment, thinking it over.

"Fine," she said at last. "Figure out who else is interested and get back to me." She started to walk away, but then turned back. "Oh, and one last thing. If you double-cross us, Zabini, I will make you regret it." Blaise nodded.

"Don't worry. I won't," he promised. Ginny nodded and then left. Blaise breathed a sigh of relief. That girl was scary when she wanted to be. Still, he'd gotten what he wanted. Now he had to find out just who Tracey was looking at for their insurrection.

A/N: OK, I didn't rewrite the dialogue with Remus because I'm assuming you've read DH, and also, the scene makes me mad just reading it; I don't trust myself to write it. R&R!


	10. Flight

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 11 - Flight:** The next two days at Grimmauld Place were horribly awkward. None of them really seemed to know what to do. They kept shooting off ideas, but nothing seemed to be any good.

What happened next was something that maybe, they should have expected. Hermione had slipped out under the Cloak, but apparently someone had noticed her, somehow. She Disapparated, but while doing so, she felt someone snag her wrist. It was, however, too late to turn back. However, when they rematerialized in the house, she managed to hit the mystery Death Eater with a Stinging Hex in the face. Then she ran, shouting loudly for the others.

Later, Bryn would reflect that it was a good thing that everything they'd brought was in Hermione's bottomless purse. Otherwise, they'd have lost quite a lot. As it was, Hermione had just gotten to them when the Death Eater caught up, and they Disapparated together just as a flash of green headed for them.

They landed hard on grass. "Where are we?" said Ron.

"The woods from the Quidditch World Cup," Hermione said.

"Is this the clearing where...?" Harry began. Hermione nodded.

"What?" Bryn said.

"You were at the Cup; this is where the Mark was cast," Harry explained. Bryn stared at him.

"What? You were right at the place where...?" She remembered the horror of that night, a night that had given her a first look at the past her mother had occasionally referenced and her history book had discussed.

"Yeah, they thought one of us did it," Ron said, shaking his head. "Never mind that only Hermione even knew what it was..."

"Well, it was a precaution, Ron," Hermione said briskly. "Anyway, I thought this would be good, no one should be able to trace us here."

"Hopefully," Bryn muttered.

"Try to think positively," Hermione admonished.

It was a good thing they'd all put their knapsacks in Hermione's bottomless purse, or they'd have lost pretty much everything. Hermione had also had the foresight to pack a tent, one that was a small house inside, so Harry and Ron set it up while Hermione and Bryn put the protections around their campsite. Then Bryn retrieved her knapsack and rummaged through it, looking for _The Ultimate Survival Guide_. She found it and then left the others, looking for something edible. All she managed were some mushrooms and herbs that made them taste half-decent, but it was better than nothing. She wondered idly how the others would react to the idea of hunting. She didn't much like it herself, but they would be able to steal or buy food only so often, and if they stayed in the woods... She decided to bring it up later. Though if they could find some kind of army surplus store - did they even have those in Britain? - they could get those MRE things that soldiers used.

Harry was wearing the locket, wanting to make sure they didn't lose it. Ron was complaining about the food, but that was to be expected, as he'd never gone hungry before. Neither had Bryn, and she supposed Hermione hadn't either, but Ron was the most easily irritated of them. Bryn just hoped he'd get over it soon, or there might be trouble.

They took it in turns to keep watch that first night. Bryn got the last watch, so she was the one awake as the sun rose. The sky was stained crimson, like blood, which did not help Bryn's already edgy mood. She didn't really believe in omens, but still... she rather felt they didn't need any more strikes against them.

A/N: OK, so this was dumb, but I needed a way to get them out of Grimmauld Place, and this was the best I could come up with. Next chapter will have the first D.A. meeting, Slytherins included.


	11. A New DA

Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

**Chapter 12 - A New D.A.:** "So, did you talk to them?" Blaise asked Tracey as they sat down in Amycus Carrow's D.A.D.A. class. Blaise thought the only good thing about this teacher was that he did know what he was teaching. Of course, the class was just 'Dark Arts' now, forget the 'Defense' part, but even that was more impressive than Lockhart had been.

"Yeah, and I've got them interested."

"How many?"

"Ten, including us."

"That's not many."

"I know, but it's better than nothing."

* * *

"Longbottom, ten of us will be coming." He had Charms with Neville Longbottom; Tracey wasn't in that class. Neville looked at Blaise, eyes appraising. Blaise thought how different this Longbottom was from the boy who'd broken his wrist during their first flying lesson.

"All right, Zabini," Neville said, watching the Slytherin go back to his place. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but... he remembered the songs of the Sorting Hat for the last three years. He also remembered something he'd heard somewhere, "United we stand, divided we fall." Maybe it was time for the four Houses to work together. But only ten Slytherins? Well, better than he'd expected, honestly.

* * *

Ginny was more nervous than she would have liked to admit. Harry had led the D.A. last time, and he was a natural leader. She wasn't sure she was. Oh, she wasn't a mindless follower, but she was more of an independent. Came from being the only girl with six older brothers. But this... she would have Neville and Luna, though. And, apparently, Blaise Zabini.

Zabini. When she thought of Bryn, after the breakup, she wanted to treat Zabini to a Bat-Bogey Hex. However, he'd had a point, and... she believed him. He'd called her Ginny. She understood what that had meant. A truce, an alliance of sorts. So, she believed it was the right thing to do. It was time for all of them to stand united. She was the new leader of Dumbledore's Army - or one of them - and Dumbledore had always encouraged second chances and working together. Even if giving second chances had backfired on him once, fatally, he was usually right about it. Fitting then, that they should be uniting this year, finally all four Houses together. Dumbledore would be proud, she decided.

So Ginny went through her classes that day, through 'Muggle Studies' with Alecto Carrow, and she knew that the Death Eaters weren't going to win in the end. Or if they did, the Light would at the very least give them one hell of a fight first. And she was going to be a part of that, no matter how much her family tried to shield her. They were fighting in that war; the brother closest to her in age, the boy she loved, and two of the best female friends she'd ever had were up close and personal with it. Gone off to parts unknown, all of them... She'd be damned if she didn't help them any way she could; with whoever wanted to help her.

* * *

For once, Luna wasn't thinking about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks or Nargles. Actually, she was thinking about her classmate Gwen Cooper, a Slytherin. Gwen had long, strawberry blond hair, brown eyes, and a constant sardonic half-smile on her face, like she knew something no one else did. And she had just told off a boy in Luna's own House, Maxwell Graham, for calling her 'Loony'. Luna watched the other girl, confused.

Something hit her ankle. It was a crumpled bit of parchment. She picked it up and read it while McGonagall was writing on the board.

_So, Lovegood, this D.A. thing. Tracey's invited me, and I'll be there. A little worried, though. I mean... I hope they don't all hex us as one. Maybe I can get protection? Please? G.C._

At the end of the class, Luna caught up with Gwen. "You won't need protection. Ginny, Neville, and I will make sure they understand. And if not, Ginny's got quite the Bat Bogey Hex. So, would you like to meet in the library to do our Transfiguration homework?"

"Sure, why not," said Gwen, and for once, the smile on her face was complete, and not sardonic at all.

* * *

That night, the ringleaders of the D.A. - main and Slytherin branch - were on edge. Understandable, considering what was riding on this first meeting. A merging, finally of the four Houses, a need to override mistrust. They had to pull it off. If not... well, it was important.

"OK, everyone. I can tell most of you were in the first D.A., two years back," Ginny began, looking at the thirty or so kids in front of her, "so you have some idea of what we're about. Now, the first thing I'm going to say is, if anyone's not sure they're willing to risk fighting..." Harry, Hermione, and Bryn said it, not to mention Lupin did, and Sirius and Dumbledore had. "...Voldemort, then leave now." No one moved. "Right. So, on to the next thing. There's going to be a few changes this year. Neville?" Neville nodded and opened the door. Wands were drawn swiftly as the ten Slytherins walked in, Zabini and Davis in the lead.

"Everyone relax! They're here to join us," Ginny said swiftly.

"What!"

"They're Slytherins!"

"They're evil!"

"They'll run and tell Snape!"

"This is going well," Tracey muttered to Blaise.

"Yeah."

"So, go up and talk to them."

"Me!"

"Yeah, Blaise, you. Look, I'm the people person, but you... you've got the passion for this. I believe in it, but you're more connected to it. You talk to them."

Ginny, Neville, and Luna were trying to restore order, but it wasn't going that well... until Blaise stepped up beside them. Then everyone hushed, but they glared at him. Fantastic.

"Right. Well, can't say I didn't expect this. You guys have no reason to trust Slytherins. Two years ago, the Inquisitorial Squad that helped take down the first D.A. and made your lives hell was all Slytherin. This year, Slytherin is the house the Death Eaters and their boss favor. Slytherins have always made themselves the odd House out."

"But here's the thing. It was never the whole House. It was people like Draco Malfoy and his cronies. The rest of us just kept our heads down because we didn't want any trouble. However, things have changed. We're all in trouble, and so we can't hide anymore. So we're here. And we won't turn on you, I swear." He looked at them, then at Ginny. "Sorry I took over, Ginny."

Ginny looked around, at the people who had gone quiet and thoughtful. "Anytime, Blaise," she said, with an amused smile. "You shut them up." She turned to the crowd. "Well then. So, you've heard Blaise, and if you can't handle this, you can leave."

No one moved. "Good," Ginny continued. "Who here was not in the first D.A.?" Hands went up. "All right, you guys go with Neville. The rest of you, pair off. Let's see what you know. We start with Disarming."

"Hang on, We- Ginny," said Tracey quietly. "One of the ideas Blaise and I had was that we could set up an intelligence branch of this little operation." Ginny studied them thoughtfully, then nodded.

"Hold that thought. Anyone in either group interested in working intelligence, you'll be with Blaise and Tracey." There were a few dubious glances before about twelve people, including members of all four Houses, walked over to the two Slytherins.

"Good. Now that we're all sorted, let's get started," Ginny said.

Two hours later, the students headed back to their common rooms. Blaise and Tracey hung back, as did Ginny, Neville, and Luna. "That went well," said Neville.

"After some initial unpleasantness," Blaise drawled.

"A bit, but that's all settled now," said Luna.

"Let's hope so," said Ginny fervently.

"Yeah, really," said Tracey.

"So, an intelligence branch?" asked Neville.

"You've got contacts with the Order of the Phoenix, don't pretend otherwise," said Blaise. "But, we're in school, and we need information from inside these walls. With Death Eaters here, we might even get some useful things you can pass on. We're Slytherins, we learn early to be sneaky, and a lot of us know things we really shouldn't because we're good at keeping out of sight long enough to get that knowledge. So, we're teaching others to do the same. We'll also come up with codes and such that we'll teach everyone. All sorts of things to keep this under wraps."

"I think it's a good idea," said Ginny. "Keep it up, you two."

Nodding, the two Slytherins left, hoping they'd finally broken the ice with the other Houses.

A/N: So, tell me what you think! R&R!


End file.
